Saturday, April 27, 2019

Grace to you and
peace from God our Father and our Risen Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.Amen

Faith and Believing
is not something we do with our minds, but the state of our hearts and souls.

In fact, it is
when doubts assail us that faith and belief are often the strongest, for to
have faith, to believe, is to trust in another when nothing whatsoever is
certain.

Faith and belief
are concepts that have multiple layers of meaning, and because of that, we are
often left to struggle with what is meant in a particular situation.

Back in 2002, on
the occasion of Karla and my 25th wedding anniversary, I became
ill.After a wonderful dinner out with
friends and family, it was like a bomb went off in my gut, so severe that I
asked Karla to take me into the hospital.

They treated me
for a variety of symptoms, and after a few hours, had me settled down.

However, the Dr.
said one thing that would have significant consequences.

“Has anyone ever
told you that you have a heart murmur?”

Subsequent tests
in the coming weeks and months revealed that I had a mitral valve failure, and
needed open heart surgery.

For me that
experience became the best example of faith and belief.

There were three
things going on.

First, the doctor
explained that I had pulmonary hypertension, that is, an elevated blood
pressure in my lungs, which is an indication that the mitral valve was not
functioning, allowing blood to be pumped back into the lungs instead of just
forward into the body.

When the doctor
explained that to me, the first issue was did I understand what he was
saying?

This first level,
understanding, is one of the dimensions of faith and belief.

When we say “We
believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth” do you
understand what that means?This is a
question of intelligence and knowledge.

One of the things
that I had to deal with during my treatment is that, aside from that one night,
I was symptom free.There had been no
shortness of breath or uncomfortableness that would lead me to think that I had
a problem.

So when the
doctor told me about my mitral valve and what was wrong, I had to decide
whether I would accept what he was saying as being the truth.

This dimension of
faith, believing something is actually true, is a matter of conviction.Not intelligence.

Some very
intelligent people may not agree about what is true.For example, two people may understand quite
well what we mean when we say that God created the heavens and the earth, but
disagree on whether that is a true statement.

Back to my
surgery.

Following all the
tests and the determination that I needed surgery, I was introduced to Dr.
Sewick.

Now the question
was not about understanding, nor was it about truth, but rather it was about trust.Specifically, would I trust this man to
perform the surgery and fix my heart, knowing that he would stop and start the
heart to do it?

Trust in this
sense, is all about a relationship.

You can
understand something all by yourself.

You can be convinced
that something is true all by yourself.

But trust, in
this sense, is always trust in another.

So when we talk
about our Christian faith, we do so in three different ways.

We talk about our
understanding of the Christian beliefs, namely that God created us all, that he
has redeemed us, and that by the power of the Holy Spirit he leads us to
believe and transforms our life.

We also talk
about our Christian faith as a conviction that these things that have been
revealed to us through the scriptures and proclamation are in fact true.

But the most
important dimension of faith is whether we will trust in God with our whole
life and soul.

There’s one other
thing about these three dimensions of faith and belief that bears noting.

Only the third dimension
that of trusting in the other really matters in the end.

Understanding
what was wrong with my heart didn’t save me.

Believing I had a
problem did not save me.

It was trusting
in Dr. Sewick that saved me.

There’s a verse
that I found very meaningful regarding the experience of Easter.

It comes from
Luke 24: 41.

While in their joy they were disbelieving
and still wondering, ...

What this says to
me is that when the disciples experienced the Risen Christ, present in their
midst, they didn’t understand what was happening, perhaps they couldn’t even
believe that it was true, but nevertheless they were overcome with joy at being
with Jesus once again.

Likewise in today’s
Gospel reading.

When Jesus
appeared among the disciples that Easter evening, they did not understand what
was happening, and perhaps were wondering how it could possibly be true, but
nevertheless they experienced Jesus, present and with them.

Thomas wasn’t
there.

When the
disciples shared with Thomas what had happened, Thomas responded “Unless I see
the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails
and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

For Thomas, two
things were extremely important.

First, he wanted
to understand what happened.

And second, he
needed to see proof that this was true.

When Jesus subsequently
appeared also to Thomas Jesus offered to let him feel his wounds, but it was
not necessary.

“My Lord and My
God.”

My Lord.

My God.

What changed for
Thomas was the relationship was reestablished.

Thomas likely
still did not understand.

He probably
wondered how this could be true.

But there was his
Lord and Savior, Jesus.

And that was all
that mattered.

What matters to
us?Nearly two thousand years have
passed.What matters to us today?

We are at a
different place than those first disciples of Jesus.

For thousands of
years now we have confessed our faith.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our
Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and will come again to judge the living and the dead.

We understand
these things that form the nucleus of the Christian teachings about Jesus.

They have become
very familiar to us.

And in our country,
even though many people are no longer active in the Church, most people will,
when asked, say that they believe these things to be true.

But the real
question is whether we will trust the Lord our God above all else.

Do we have a
personal relationship with Jesus as our Lord and Savior?

Jesus’ disciples
struggled to understand.

It was also difficult
to believe that this could possibly be true.

But what they
could not deny is the experience they had of the Risen Christ.

“My Lord and My
God!” Thomas declared.

My Lord and My
God!

That is about a
relationship.Not understanding or
truth.But a personal relationship with
Jesus.

This can be a
struggle.

And it’s easy to
get distracted.

As a pastor a
whole lot of my life has been devoted to the pursuit of Christian knowledge and
understanding, and the convictions that arise out of that about what is true.

In this regard,
we train our pastors well.

I have an
undergraduate degree in Religion and Philosophy, and four years of seminary to
get my Master of Divinity Degree.

Pastors
understand a lot.

And most of us
have strong convictions about what is true and what is not.

The real issue
though is whether we have encountered the risen Christ and experienced a saving
relationship with Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

For us, as for
many people, sometimes it is the challenges that we face in life, not our
education or convictions that truly test our faith and lead us into a
relationship with Jesus.

It is not what we
know or believe to be true that saves us.

It is Jesus.

Jesus only.Standing there in our midst, wounded for our
sake, and saying “Peace be with you.”

Saturday, April 20, 2019

Grace to you and
peace from God our Father and our Risen Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.Amen

The burdens of
this life had weighed heavily upon her, and the veil of death hung heavily over
her.

As she walked
toward the garden tomb that morning, every step was a challenge, as though she
carried on her shoulders and enormous load, which she did.

She could not get
the image of Jesus, hanging from the cross out of her mind.His agonizing pain.The labored breathing.Blood oozing from the welts on his skin, the horrific
reminder of the lashes that ripped at him one by one.

Father, into thy
hands I commend my Spirit!

And then
silence.A deafening silence.His body now hanging limp from the
cross.His head resting upon his breast.

Darkness covered
the land.

And though the
sun would set and rise again, the darkness remained.

Jesus.

Now lifeless
flesh, laid in a tomb, and a bittersweet memory of a love cut short.

Mary had hoped.

Mary, together with
all the disciples had hoped.

Jesus had talked
about the kingdom.He promised they
would see it.That it was very near.

Purple robes had
been draped over him in cruel mockery.A
crown of thorns placed upon his brow.

“This is the King
of the Jews”, the inscription that hung over him.

What went wrong?

How could love,
that love that had so touched Mary, have been so fleeting?

“Jesus.My Jesus.I cannot let go.My soul
grieves.My heart aches.”

Step by step, she
inched closer to the tomb.Fear and foreboding
overwhelmed her.

And then.And then.

Nothing.Emptiness.

They had taken
him from the tomb.

Where had they
laid him?Where had he gone?

Mary had been
robbed of the love of her life, this Jesus.Now it seemed, that they had added salt to the wound, not even allowing
her proper grief.

All that she had
hoped for was now gone with Jesus.Even
his body, taken from her.

One word changed
everything.

“Mary!”

If
for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be
pitied.

We hope for many
things.

A child is
conceived.Hope abounds.

One wonders if it
will be a boy or a girl.

What will he or
she do?Who will they become?

But then there is
silence.

Listening for the
heart beat, there is silence.

“Come back next
week, and we’ll try again."Still
silence.

On a rainy day, we
gathered under a tree to bury that unborn child.

My Bible’s pages
still are wrinkled by the drops of water that fell as I read from Psalm 139 that
day.

13 For it was you who formed my inward
parts;

you knit me together in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and
wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works;

that I know very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you,

when I was being made in secret,

intricately woven in the depths of the
earth.

16 Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.

In your book were written

all the days that were formed for me,

when none of them as yet existed.

And then Bill,
the dad, gently laid the small box containing the lifeless body of their unborn
child into the earth.

If
for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be
pitied.

If there is one
thing above all else that I regret about my years of ministry, it is that I
buried far too many children.

William Clark
Benton born too early to survive.They
took him early, before his lungs were adequately developed, to save the life of
his mother.

If
for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be
pitied.

Spencer and
Andrew Petrina.

Two brothers,
both who were born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy.SMA

Slowly from birth
they began the process of dying.About a
year each one lived.And then finally
the muscles simply did not work anymore.

If
for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be
pitied.

There was Paul, a
nine year old boy, killed while playing with his brothers in a cemetery.They had been swinging on the rope that hung
from the flag pole when the pole collapsed and crushed Paul’s skull.

If
for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be
pitied.

Alison and Jazz,
young girls, about fifteen, sixteen years old.

Alison in
Thompson Falls.

Jazz in Plevna.

Automobile
accidents cut short their lifes.

If
for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be
pitied.

And on the list
goes.

I remember Gary,
the young father whom cancer claimed.

He left behind
two wonderful kids, and a beautiful wife.

If
for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be
pitied.

In short order, over
the course of the first few years of my ministry, I had buried someone in every
decade of life, from birth till a hundred years old.

One by one.

If
for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be
pitied.

What does it mean
to be a Christian?

What is the hope
we claim?

We speak about
things like new life, and living in the Kingdom now.

We hope that the
love of Christ might transform this world.

We pray for
ourselves, our families, for one another, and for the world.

Oh how we pray.

One of my
vocations as a pastor has been to pray.

In worship, in
your homes, in hospital rooms, and in the silence of my own soul, I pray.

That we pray is a
confirmation of our hope.

And yet so often,
the hopes we have for this life fade with the passing of each day.

The final prayer
I offer is this:

“Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend
your servant.Acknowledge, we humbly
beseech you, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of
your own redeeming.Receive him/her into
the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into
the glorious company of the saints in light.Amen”

Ministry has been
for me, walking hand in hand with my parishioners through the trials and fears
of this world, to the gates of heaven.And then, letting go, and saying those words “Into your hands, O
merciful Savior.”

If
for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be
pitied.

Easter.

Flowers.

Bunnies.

Hunting for
eggs.(I truly have never figured out
what that is about.I have no clue what
it has to do with Easter.)

We have brunch.(Can you smell it now?)

Easter is a
celebration of the coming of Spring.

Or not...

If
for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be
pitied.

“Mary!”

I’m increasingly
aware that I’ve lived more years already, than I have left to live.

And on numerous
occasions, I’ve faced heath issues that might have claimed my life.

Death looms.

If
for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be
pitied.

“Mary!”

That one word,
spoken by the Risen Christ, declared to the universe itself that death was not
the final word on life.

Eventually, death
will call our name, and we will go.

But that is not
the final word.

“Mary!”

Or John.Or Kathryn.Karl or Rebecca.

Or Spencer, or
Andrew, or Gary, or Alison, or Jazz.

If
for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be
pitied.

But
in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who
have died. For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the
dead has also come through a human being; for as all die in Adam, so all will
be made alive in Christ.Amen

Sunday, April 14, 2019

As they led him away, they
seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the
cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.A large number of people followed him,
including women who mourned and wailed for him.Jesus turned and said to them “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for
me; weep for yourselves and for your children.For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the barren women,
the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’Then “they will say to the mountains, ‘Fall
on us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’”For
if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

Two
other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed.When they came to the place called the Skull,
there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other
on his left.Jesus said, “Father,
forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”And they divided up his clothes by casting
lots.

The
people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him.They said, “He saved others; let him save
himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.”

The
soldiers also came up and mocked him.They offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the
Jews, save yourself.”

There was a written notice
above him, which read:This is the King
of the Jews.

One
of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him”“Aren’t you the Christ?Save yourself and us!”

But
the other criminal rebuked him.“Don’t
you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?We are punished justly, for we are getting
what our deeds deserve.But this man has
done nothing wrong.”

Then
he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Jesus
answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

A Reading from Genesis:

1 After these things
God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" And he said,
"Here I am." 2 He said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac,
whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt
offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you." 3 So Abraham rose
early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with
him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and set out and
went to the place in the distance that God had shown him. 4 On the third day
Abraham looked up and saw the place far away. 5 Then Abraham said to his young
men, "Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will
worship, and then we will come back to you." 6 Abraham took the wood of
the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the
fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. 7 Isaac said to his
father Abraham, "Father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son."
He said, "The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a
burnt offering?" 8 Abraham said, "God himself will provide the lamb
for a burnt offering, my son." So the two of them walked on together.

9 When they came to
the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the
wood in order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the
wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son.
11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said,
"Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." 12 He said,
"Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know
that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from
me." 13 And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its
horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering
instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place "The Lord will
provide"; as it is said to this day, "On the mount of the Lord it
shall be provided."

Isaiah wrote:

10 Yet it was the will
of the Lord to crush him with pain.

When
you make his life an offering for sin,

he
shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days;

through
him the will of the Lord shall prosper.

11 Out of his anguish
he shall see light;

he
shall find satisfaction through his knowledge.

The
righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous,

and
he shall bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore I will
allot him a portion with the great,

and
he shall divide the spoil with the strong;

because
he poured out himself to death,

and
was numbered with the transgressors;

yet
he bore the sin of many,

and
made intercession for the transgressors.

From the call of
Abraham on, it was the plan of salvation that by the sacrifice of a Son we
would be redeemed.

"God himself will provide the lamb for
a burnt offering, my son."

God himself will
provide his Son, the lamb, for a burnt offering.

The righteous one, my servant, shall make
many righteous,

and he shall bear their iniquities.

It’s hard to
fathom, that God had to die.

It’s even harder
to fathom, that Christ would willingly pour out his life for us.

What wondrous
love is this?

Christ, the
atoning sacrifice that paid the price of our sins.

Christ, the one
who by his death destroyed the power of death, and opened for us the gates to
eternal life.

Christ, who when
he was lifted up from the earth drew all people unto himself.

How could God
have demanded Abraham sacrifice his son?

How is it then
that God himself, instead of Abraham or any of us, would offer HIS son as that
sacrifice?

A dying Christ.

Hanging there for
you, for me.

There are but two
responses.

Ridicule.Or Adoration.

The people
stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him.They said, “He saved others; let him save
himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.”

The soldiers also came up and
mocked him.They offered him wine
vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”

One of the
criminals who hung there hurled insults at him”“Aren’t you the Christ?Save
yourself and us!”

“Let him save himself. . .”

“Save yourself.”

“Save yourself and us!”

But the other
criminal rebuked him.“Don’t you fear
God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?We are punished justly, for we are getting
what our deeds deserve.But this man has
done nothing wrong.”

Then he said, “Jesus, remember
me when you come into your kingdom.”

Jesus answered him, “I tell you
the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

He would not save himself, for if he did, he
could not save us.

And so he died.

Behold your King!

From this earth, we can only see the Cross,
yet from the Cross, Christ saw the heavenly throne.

Paradise.

2 And I saw
the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared
as a bride adorned for her husband.

3 And I heard
a loud voice from the throne saying,

"See, the
home of God is among mortals.

He will dwell
with them;

they will be
his peoples,

and God
himself will be with them;

4 he will wipe
every tear from their eyes.

Death will be
no more;

mourning and
crying and pain will be no more,

for the first
things have passed away."

5 And the one
who was seated on the throne said, "See, I am making all things new." (Revelation 21:2-5)

Saturday, April 13, 2019

1 Now before the
festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this
world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he
loved them to the end. 2 The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas
son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper 3 Jesus, knowing that
the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God
and was going to God, 4 got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and
tied a towel around himself. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to
wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around
him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to
wash my feet?" 7 Jesus answered, "You do not know now what I am
doing, but later you will understand." 8 Peter said to him, "You will
never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no
share with me." 9 Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only
but also my hands and my head!" 10 Jesus said to him, "One who has
bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And
you are clean, though not all of you." 11 For he knew who was to betray
him; for this reason he said, "Not all of you are clean."

12 After he had
washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said
to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and
Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. 14 So if I, your Lord and
Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15
For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.
16 Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are
messengers greater than the one who sent them. 17 If you know these things, you
are blessed if you do them. 18 I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I
have chosen. But it is to fulfill the scripture, 'The one who ate my bread has
lifted his heel against me. ' 19 I tell you this now, before it occurs, so that
when it does occur, you may believe that I am he. 20 Very truly, I tell you,
whoever receives one whom I send receives me; and whoever receives me receives
him who sent me."

21 After saying
this Jesus was troubled in spirit, and declared, "Very truly, I tell you,
one of you will betray me." 22 The disciples looked at one another,
uncertain of whom he was speaking. 23 One of his disciples—the one whom Jesus
loved—was reclining next to him; 24 Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to
ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. 25 So while reclining next to Jesus, he
asked him, "Lord, who is it?" 26 Jesus answered, "It is the one
to whom I give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish." So
when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon
Iscariot. 27 After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him.
Jesus said to him, "Do quickly what you are going to do." 28 Now no
one at the table knew why he said this to him. 29 Some thought that, because
Judas had the common purse, Jesus was telling him, "Buy what we need for
the festival"; or, that he should give something to the poor. 30 So, after
receiving the piece of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.

31 When he had
gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has
been glorified in him. 32 If God has been glorified in him, God will also
glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. 33 Little children, I am
with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews
so now I say to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come. ' 34 I give you a new
commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also
should love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my
disciples, if you have love for one another."

The Gospel of Our
Lord.

Grace to you and
peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.Amen

“God cares for
the least of these—which is why he cares for you and me.

And
God has provided for us all, which is why he expects us to share with all
according to each one’s need.”

“I don’t care
what you’ve done,

I don’t care
where you’ve been.

I
just want you to come home.”

“If we want to
know who God is calling us to love and show mercy to, we ought to think about
whom it is that we are most uncomfortable showing love and mercy to.

Why?

Because
the reason that we are uncomfortable showing love and mercy to them, is the
reason they so desperately need to experience the love and mercy of God.”

As a Church we
simply cannot be too loving, too forgiving, too merciful, too compassionate,
and too accepting.

No amount of
grace is too much grace.

Because
grace, in all its lavish abundance, is precisely what transforms the lives of
sinners and sets us free and brings us back to God.

We are the
descendents of the Gentiles, of pagans, of barbarians. That is unless you are
of Jewish heritage.

But Jesus
doesn’t see that.

Jesus
sees each of us as a beloved child of God, of great value, so much so that he
would give his life for us.

There is a
radical sign that we are being Christ like in our ministries.

How many
despicable people are in our midst?

Actually, that is
a trick question because if we truly have the heart of Jesus, no one is
despicable.

But if we have
the heart of Jesus, we will welcome those whom the world despises.

And
by loving the unlovable and welcoming the outcast we will all be transformed.

These are themes
we’ve explored as we focused on the heart of Jesus, and his gracious love these
last few weeks.

We began with the
parable of the last judgment.

We heard the
story of the prodigal son and his indignant brother.

We saw how the
Samaritan, a foreigner, proved to be the true neighbor as he showed mercy.

We witnessed how Jesus
refused to condemn the woman caught in adultery.

We explored how
Jesus love caused him to reach over every barrier, to reach those on the other
side like the Samaritan woman at the well.

And
last week, as we heard the story of Zaccheus we were reminded that Jesus can
love even those despised by the world.

It is easy to
love your mom and your dad.That’s the
first love we experienced.

It is easy to
love our brothers and sisters.

It is easy to
love that special someone who comes into your life and captures your heart,
that one with whom you choose to spend your life.

It is easy to
love a son or a daughter, such a precious gift of life.

These familial
relationships define us as people.

The love flows
naturally and abundantly.

But there is nothing
particularly Christian about such love.Every human experiences this type of love.

As we look into
the heart of Jesus, what we discover is a love that goes beyond the normal and
natural.

Jesus loves even
the unlovable.

It was evening.

Jesus had
gathered together with his disciples in the upper room in Jerusalem to share
what would prove to be his last meal with them.

It was the custom
at that time that a servant would wash the feet of the guests at a festive
meal.

There was no such
servant there that evening, and so Jesus, removing his outer garments took on
the role of a slave and moved about the table, one by one, and washed the
disciples feet.

One by one.

Water washing
over their feet.

The intimate
touch of his hands on their toes.

And then he took
the towel tied around his waist and dried their feet.

Perhaps the first
to be washed was Matthew, the tax collector, who’d found forgiveness and a
place of belonging in this band of disciples.

Judas the son of
James.

Bartholomew.

Simon the Zealot,

Thomas

John and James,
the sons of Zebedee.

Andrew and
Philip.

Another James,
son of Alphaeus.

He knelt before
Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him and gently washed his feet.

And Peter.Peter who objected.

One by one,
around the room.The water in the basin
getting dirty as the dust of the road was washed from their feet.

One by one Jesus
touched them as a servant.

One by one, Jesus
knelt before them.

One by one, Jesus
loved them.

"Now the Son
of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. 32 If God has
been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify
him at once. 33 Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will
look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, 'Where I am going,
you cannot come. ' 34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.
Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.

Just as I have
loved you, you also should love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that
you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

Just as I have
loved you.

We are the least
of these whom Jesus loved.

We are the
prodigal son whom Jesus loved.

We are the
obedient son whom Jesus loved.

We are the
Samaritan and the victim lying beside the road whom Jesus loved.

We are the woman
caught in adultery whom Jesus loved.

We are the
Samaritan woman whom Jesus loved.

We are Zaccheus
whom Jesus loved.

We are the
beloved disciple, John.

We are Peter, so
full of himself, but whom Jesus loved.

We are Judas, the
one whom betrayed him, yet whom Jesus loved to the end.

One by one, Jesus
knelt before his disciples.

One by one, Jesus
washed their feet.

And one by one he
loves us all.

"For God so
loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him
may not perish but may have eternal life.”

For God so loved
the world, that one by one, Jesus washed each of us in the waters of baptism.

One by one we
were cleansed.

One by one we who
were lost have been found.

And one by one
shall we be saved.

May this peace
that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our
Lord.Amen

Sunday, April 7, 2019

1 He entered
Jericho and was passing through it. 2 A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a
chief tax collector and was rich. 3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on
account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. 4 So he ran
ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that
way. 5 When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him,
"Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house
today." 6 So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. 7 All who saw
it began to grumble and said, "He has gone to be the guest of one who is a
sinner." 8 Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Look, half of
my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone
of anything, I will pay back four times as much." 9 Then Jesus said to
him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of
Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost."

Grace to you and
peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.Amen

OK, you know the
song, let’s sing it.

Zacchaeus was a wee little man

And a wee little man was he

He climbed up in a sycamore tree

For the Lord he wanted to see

And when the Savior passed that way

He looked up in the tree

And said, 'Zacchaeus, you come down!

For I'm going to your house today!

For I'm going to your house today!'

Zacchaeus was a wee little man

But a happy man was he

For he had seen the Lord that day

And a happy man was he;

And a very happy man was he

Kind of brings
you back to a simpler, easier time in life, doesn’t it.

Reminds me of
Sunday School and Vacation Bible School and doing things like building little ‘biblical
homes’ out of sugar cubes and popsicle sticks, not to mention the singing of
songs like this.

This song, though
appropriate for young children, doesn’t quite capture what is going on in this
story.

Zacchaeus was a
wee little man.

OK, so that is
Biblically accurate.He is described as
being short of stature.

There are
prejudices against short men.There is a
feeling among some that short men overcompensate for their slight stature with
an oversized ego and aggressive personality.

There’s probably
not much truth to that.I don’t
know,as is obvious, I’ve never had to
deal with being short.

But Zacchaeus’
problem wasn’t that he was short.

His problem was
that he was a chief tax collector, and considered despicable and a traitor and
a crook by just about everyone.

He was no Alice N.

Alice is a dear
lady in Sandpoint who worked for years in the County Government receiving
people’s property tax payments.

People like
Alice.

Not
Zacchaeus.

Tax collectors
were collecting those taxes for Rome.

Because of that,
the tax collectors were considered collaborators with the foreign occupying government,
and traitors to their own people.

The way that
worked in Jesus’ day is that the Roman Government awarded contracts to people
to collect taxes in a specific region, and those contracts would specify how
much revenue was to be raised for Rome.The tax collector was then authorized to raise more than that and by so
doing, make a profit for himself.

That Zacchaeus
was a rich man suggests that he was using his position as a tax collector to
exploit the people.Hence he was seen as
being criminal.

Like I said, despicable.Hated by all.Neither loved or respected by any.

I was trying to
think who might be like that in our current day and age.

It’s hard to come
up with an exact parallel, in part because we are not occupied by a foreign
power, so the whole traitorous thing is not part of our experience.

Although, perhaps
people who were spies for the Soviet Union might qualify.

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed
during the Cold War for having sold nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union.

Despicable.

We don’t love tax
collectors very much, especially if we’ve had struggles with them.

One of my
professors in seminary had an uncle who was a high ranking official with the
Internal Revenue Service, and had responsibility for collecting back taxes, I
believe.

At any rate,
Oscar had to have open heart surgery and was recuperating in the hospital when
someone recognized him.

The disgruntled
tax payer stuck his head in Oscar’s hospital room and shouted, “I hope you die!”

Despicable.

There are other
people whose professions, and criminal inclinations are despicable.

Drug dealers who
profit off of addictions.

Despicable.

Human traffickers
who exploit women and children for profit.

Despicable.

Imagine then,
Jesus encountering someone such as these.

"Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I
must stay at your house today."

All who saw it began to grumble.

"He has gone to
be the guest of one who is a sinner."

To associate with
a notorious sinner is to tolerate, even condone, their sin.This is a long held belief.

“Jesus, what are
you doing???!!!”

Grace changes
people.

Grace reaches out
to people, where they are, and changes people.

And grace, always
comes first.

When we encounter
notorious sinners, we have a tendency to insist that they repent before we will
associate with them, lest we be seen as condoning their behavior.

But grace comes
first.

'Zacchaeus, you come
down!

For I'm going to your
house today!

These grace filled
words of Jesus had a remarkable result.

Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord,
"Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I
have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much."

That Zacchaeus
would respond in such a manner might well be an indication that he knew all
along what he was doing was wrong.

There is a rule
of thumb going on here.

If you want to
bring about change, you have to change.

If you continue
to despise certain people, they will likely remain despicable.

If you learn to
love people, they will become more lovable.

Hatred begets
hatred.

Love begets love.

Zacchaeus’ life
is transformed by this simple act of Jesus.

"Today salvation has come to this
house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to
save the lost."

Therein lays the
challenge for us in the Church.

Do we seek out
and save the lost like Jesus did?

Some of the
leaders in our Church have pointed out that one of the true signs of an
effective evangelism program is how many adult baptisms a congregation
celebrates.The reason being that child
baptisms just mean that you’re having kids, adult baptisms mean that you’re
reaching out to the unchurched.

Perhaps there is
an even more radical sign that we are being Christ like in our ministries.

How many
despicable people are in our midst?

Actually, that is
a trick question because if we truly have the heart of Jesus, no one is
despicable.

But if we have
the heart of Jesus, we will welcome those whom the world despises.

And by loving the
unlovable and welcoming the outcast we will all be transformed.

And that’s the
thing.Love transforms both the lover
and the beloved.

Churches that
reach out to the outcast are changed by that experience, transformed by the
Holy Spirit.

And the outcast
that are embraced by the love of Christ are themselves changed.

Today Salvation
has come to this house for the Son of Man came to seek out and save the lost.

Saturday, April 6, 2019

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and
Savior, Jesus the Christ.Amen

How is your relationship with God, today?

That’s the question.

In the end, that’s actually the only question that matters.

Though we never seem to tire of asking other questions.

One of the most common questions that religious people ask
is “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”

That was the question of the rich young man who had run up
to Jesus.(Mark 10:17)

Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is
good but God alone. You know the
commandments:'You shall not murder; You
shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false
witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother. '" He said to him, "Teacher, I have kept all
these since my youth."

Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "You lack
one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will
have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."

The man left grieving, for he was very rich.

Jesus’ disciples asked“Who can be saved?”

And Jesus response was "For mortals it is impossible,
but not for God; for God all things are possible."

The Apostle Paul had his own answer to the question of what
must I do to inherit eternal life.

If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I
have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of
the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as
to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law,
blameless.

His point?

He was good according to the rule of doing that which the
law required.

And yet it was all for naught.

For his sake I have
suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I
may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that
comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the
righteousness from God based on faith.

“What must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Christians have long been asking that question.

And many have felt confident, like Paul, in the life they’ve
led.

In Romans Paul wrote:

Then what becomes of
boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By that of works? No, but by the law of
faith. For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works
prescribed by the law.

Trust in the promise, that is all.

Trust in the promise.

You are justified by faith apart from worksprescribed in the law.

But then we ask ourselves “What kind of faith must I have in
order to be saved?”

It all becomes a contest about believing the right things.

Only believers, specifically those who believe the truth,
are saved.

Think about that.

There is so much we do not and cannot know about God and
salvation, that how can we possibly be expected to ‘believe all the right
things’.

'You shall not
murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear
false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’

These things are relatively easy to do, when you think about
it.

At least when compared to believing all the right things
about God and righteousness and the Gospel.

I refer to this as the “Lutheran Heresy”.

We are saved based on our believing the right things.

You know what the irony is in all of this?

The answer to the question is contained in the question
itself.

“What must I do to
inherit eternal life?”

I just received my inheritance from my parents.

Two things had to happen in order for me to receive that
inheritance.

First, I was born into the family.

And second, they died.

I didn’t do anything to be born into my family.Nothing at all.

And I’m happy to report that I also did nothing to cause the
death of my parents.

But because of those two things, I received the inheritance.

“What must I do to
inherit eternal life?”

Two things.

Be created as a child of God.

And then, God has to die. . .

Still the questions persist.

“Well, what then must I do to become a child of God, so that
I might inherit eternal life?”

There is nothing we can do to become someone’s child.

That we became our parent’s children was the result of
something they did, not us.

Likewise, that we have become God’s child is all about what
God has done, not us.

And the second thing that must happen is God must die in
order for us to inherit eternal life.

God must die, on a cross.

Which Christ did.

What does all this mean?

Well one of the things it means is that salvation is not the
reward for a life well lived, but rather the birthright of every child of
God.And considering that God created
each of us, that’s a pretty broad group of people.

In that lies the freedom of the Gospel.

Because there is nothing you need do to inherit eternal life
you are free to live life without threat of punishment, but solely for the sake
of the one who claimed you as your own.

It’s not about earning salvation.

It’s about having a relationship with our Lord.

Paul writes: Christ
Jesus has made me his own.

He talks of ‘knowing Christ’ and ‘being found in him’.

This is all about the relationship.

The bottom line is this:You have already been saved.Already.How you live your life
is simply a response to that.

And as we live out our lives, it is all about family and
love.

This is where how we
live and what we do matters.

And it does matter.

We can love one another, or treat each other like dirt.

If we love one another we will enjoy a wonderful life.

If we treat one another like dirt, we will suffer day after
day.

If we let anger and resentment rule the day, we will suffer
as a result.

It’s not that God is going to send us to hell for our being
consumed with anger or resentment toward another, but our own actions will
create a living hell.

And God would spare us that suffering.

Love one another.

Even as I have first loved you, you also should love one
another.

Life is just better that way.

One final thing I’ll say about this.

When I was serving in rural communities I became aware of
one dimension of life there.

The farmers and ranchers were loath to be in conflict with one
another.

Oh, it happened from time to time.

But they tried to avoid it.

What I came to believe is that they were aware of the
enduring nature of their relationship with their neighbors and wanted it to be
positive.You see, they and their
families had lived side by side since the homesteading days, and they would
continue to live side by side for generations to come.

That being the case, they’d rather be friends than enemies.

One of the reasons we should try and get along with one
another is that simple.